Emergency Alert - 5

Most of Nepal has not received any rain since the sowing of the main winter crops of wheat and barley in November and December 2008. The overall impact of lack of rainfall on crop production has been severe.The Hill and Mountain districts have been particularly affected, with the Far- and Mid-Western Regions experiencing the worst drought conditions. Minimal precipitation and snowfall in the Far- and Mid-Western districts during February, and in Central and Eastern Nepal during March, was too little too late to improve the crop situation. Localized hailstorms in Kathmandu at the end of March did significantly damage crops.